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Storyline
In 1836, two prisoners escape from a Louisiana chain gang run by a vicious strong boss. In the process of the escape, the strong boss is killed which sets his brother, the ex-warden on a chase of the men. However, the two join up with Sam Houston's army to fight the Mexicans which also sets them free from previous charges. The ex-warden then sells guns to the Mexicans which leads to the Alamo massacre and the death of their friend, Jim Bowie. The two then lead the avenging charge at San Jacinto that settles the war. Written by
John Sacksteder <jsackste@bellsouth.net>
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Prison made them tough. War made them heroes.
The pacing of this thing is pretty languid, but by-and-large, it's an entertaining history lesson. The action -- particularly the final battle scene -- is a pleasant surprise.
CONS: A few shenanigans with the historical facts, but nothing too glaring. Some suspicious time compression at the Alamo. (And Bowie's knife wasn't looted? Hmm...) Oh, and I think Tom Skerrit, although talented, was a questionable choice for the mythic (and 6'6") Sam Houston.
PROS: The rest of the cast -- the two principals were thoroughly believable. ACTUAL Texas shooting locales. Practical ("real") SFX: when a cannonball takes out a tree, it's a real tree taken apart by real explosives. And best of all, Irene Bedard in her physical prime.